Past Connections
by Arcturus-Sinclair
Summary: Spencer's newest case strikes a chord. How will he and the team react when his past comes back to haunt him?  Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay! New fic. I found this prompt on the Destination: Inspiration forum. The plot bunny/prompt was: "I'd like to see a fic where Reid comes into contact with one or more of the people who used to bully him when he was in high school (either when he's working on a case, or at, say, his high school reunion)." It was given by cflat. So, enjoy!

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Reid was reviewing the newest case file…and something about it was bothering him. They were going to Vegas, again. He licked his lips absently, his eyes never leaving the first victim's image. …All five victims looked familiar to him, but why? He pondered it some more, searching through his memories, when it hit him like a freight train.

"Oh god…" he whispered. He felt the blood draining from his face.

"Reid, are you all right?" Rossi asked.

Reid looked up to see the whole team staring at him worriedly. He forced himself to nod. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assured them. He knew the only one he'd be able to talk to about it was Morgan, because he'd already explained it during the Savage case. He really didn't want to have to re-explain it to anyone else, if he didn't absolutely have to. He sighed, softly, and stared down at the pictures again.

Alexa Lisbon. The girl that'd helped make his high-school career a living hell. His mind wandered back to that day, against his will.

"_Spencer!" Spencer turned at the sound of his name; he hadn't thought anyone even _knew _his name. He'd been picking up a book when Harper Hillman called his name. His eyes were wide behind his glasses as he watched her walk over to him. _

"_Yes?" He asked, demurely. He was pretty shy around girls, so he was understandably nervous. _

"_Alexa wants to meet you behind the field house," Harper informed him. She waited for his nod before walking away, her skirt bouncing with every step._

_When the time came, Spencer walked to the field house, his heart pounding. He half-expected Alexa not to be there. The sight that greeted him shook him to the core. The entire football team was there, with a rope. He took two large, instinctive steps back, a whimper building up in his throat. Two of the football players grabbed him and—_

"Reid!" Morgan's voice shook him from the flashback. He looked up at Morgan, a slightly tortured expression on his face. He just blinked at Morgan for a long moment, before realizing the plane had landed. He gathered his things and slid by Morgan. Before he got too far, however, he spoke. "Can I talk to you alone when you get a chance?" He didn't wait for an answer before exiting the plane.

Morgan followed him quickly and grabbed his arm. Hotch had assigned them to go to the first victim's apartment, anyway. He pulled Reid into the car and went over to the driver's seat. "What's up?" he asked, while buckling his seat belt.

Reid squeaked when he was grabbed, but was silent after Morgan asked his question. He thought for a moment, trying to assemble his speech. "I, ah, know why all the victims looked so familiar to me."

"Oh?" Morgan responded. He slowed down, to give Reid more time to talk. He glanced at the genius out of the corner of his eye. He was a bit worried because of the way Reid was acting. This had to be bad to freak the kid out so badly.

"They all look like someone from high school," Reid continued, almost as if Morgan hadn't spoken. He took another deep, stabilizing breath before finishing. "Alexa Lisbon."

Morgan swerved over to the shoulder of the road and slammed on the brakes. "Are you sure?" It was a slightly stupid question, but one that needed to be asked. His eyes bored into the side of Reid's face as he waited for an answer. He was worried about what it would mean if Reid said yes…

"Of course I'm sure," Reid shot back. He leaned his head on the window. "And that means we'll need to visit all the people she was around, in high school and beyond…" he mumbled, his voice sounding pained. Of course he'd be upset; he'd be talking to all the people that bullied him as a child.

Morgan reached out and rested a hand on Reid's shoulder. "We're gonna need to tell the rest of the team, you know." He felt Reid flinch at the touch, but didn't remove his hand.

"I…I know. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to it, though," Reid responded. He stared out the window, not wanting to look Morgan in the eye. He was scared, but he didn't want to be the baby of the team again, so he'd act like he was all right. He bit back a sigh when Morgan started the car again. He reviewed the photos in his mind as Morgan drove, matching them to the Alexa he knew.

Morgan was worried. He knew Reid had been hurt in the past, but wasn't sure how he'd take to having to revisit each detail repeatedly until he found something he could work with. He pulled into the police station, and cut the engine. He then got out and waited for Reid.

Reid got out after another moment, staring at his lap thoughtfully. He walked calmly into the police station, trying not to remember the last time he'd been in the station. The Riley Jenkins case, when he'd accused his father of killing the boy. Fate seemed to want to shove all his bad memories at him at one time. All he needed was a Henkel doppelganger and he'd be sure of it.

He walked over to the team silently, Morgan at his side. He wasn't going to bring it up, so he just started working on a map, like he knew Hotch would want.

"Pretty boy…Don't you have something to tell the team? Your discovery?" Morgan sounded like a chiding parent. They all watched at Reid's shoulders rose to around his neck.

"…I don't want to say it. I could be wrong." He knew he wasn't, and he knew Morgan knew that. He just hoped Morgan would catch on to his slight fear.

"What is it, Reid? You know anything could be helpful," Hotch pointed out. He could see Reid was uneasy, but didn't understand what he had to be uneasy about.

Reid took a deep breath. "All the victims look similar to me. Much like a girl I went to high school with. I think the UnSub is using these women to deliver a message to her…or me, even." He didn't look up from the map as he spoke. He didn't want to see the looks on their faces.

"Are you sure? Sixteen years is a long time to change someone," Rossi responded. They all knew that Reid wouldn't have said anything if he hadn't been sure, but it was good to ask.

"I'm as sure as I can be with the current evidence. I can go down to the library and get a yearbook, and have Garcia get a recent picture, if you'd like," he shot back. His voice wasn't angry, just calmly pointing out the facts. He continued to color in the map until Rossi leaned over and took the marker away. He raised his eyes to look at the team.

They all looked worried. Reid was the one they all tried to protect, and if the UnSub _was_ trying to send a message to Reid, that'd be bad.

Reid huffed out a sigh. He pulled out his phone and dialed Garcia's number. He listened to it ring once before Garcia picked up.

"Welcome to the Oracle of Wonders, we have geniuses rivaling Reid standing by. How may I help you?" Her voice was chipper.

Reid let out a chuckle at that. "Garcia. I need you to find a recent picture of a woman named Alexa Lisbon and send it to our phones." He was silent for a moment. "Thanks, Garcia." He hung up and stood. "I'll head to the library and get a yearbook. " He walked out, not waiting to see who would choose to come with.

The rest of the team stared at each other. Rossi headed out after Reid, sighing heavily as he walked. He caught up with Reid near the SVU. "Reid." Rossi grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'm not wrong, you know," Reid muttered. "And even if I didn't have an eidetic memory, I'd still remember her face…and everything else about her," he added before pulling away and getting into the driver's seat.

Rossi sighed before walking over to the passenger's side. "I never said you were wrong, but does it fit with the M.O.? You know we're just asking to make sure, Reid. We don't want to go down the wrong road and have people die needlessly." He'd spun to glare at Reid.

"Are you saying I do?" Reid's voice was filled with venom. He knew that they'd have to get evidence to support his theory. He also knew that he was right, at least about Alexa. And Rossi's doubt bothered him, greatly.

Reid pulled out of the station and drove quickly to the library. He stepped out of the car without another word to Rossi and headed inside. He'd prove he was on the right track. He walked up to the desk and spoke quietly about getting the yearbook he needed. He then pulled out a library card and placed it on the desk.

"You still have a library card for this place?" Rossi muttered incredulously.

Reid glanced at him. "My mother lives here, so of course," he replied. The librarian came back with the book as he finished speaking. He took it gingerly before signing it out. "I'll have it back by the end of the day," he promised.

Reid turned on his heel and headed back to the car. He waited until Rossi had caught up with him outside to open the book. He pointed at a picture that almost exactly matched all the victims. She had light brown hair and green eyes. He stared at Rossi. "Still think I'm wrong…?" His voice was soft, and slightly pained.

Rossi shook his head. "No, I don't. Let's go show this—," he stopped, feeling his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket and opened the file Garcia had sent him. The image shocked him. It, again, was almost identical to the victims.

Reid just silently stared at the image. He'd always wondered how Alexa would look now, and now he knew. "We'll need to find out if this is random. Statistically, the odds of this being a random act is five to none against it," he rambled off.

Rossi nodded. "I know, kid, I know…" He sighed and headed towards the car, taking the driver's seat this time. He took the keys from Reid, wanting to give him a bit of time to recover. He pulled out carefully once Reid was settled; this parking lot was like a death trap.

Reid took a shaky breath as Rossi pulled out. This had to be a dream, a very realistic dream. His mind was reeling as he tried to connect the pieces himself. "What if I am the reason the killing started? Anyone could have found out that I was in the B.A.U., I mean, my father did…" He sounded very much like a child at that moment.

"Then we'll act accordingly. We're not gonna let them hurt you, Reid. You know that." Rossi's voice was calm as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the road. He pulled back into the police station and parked.

Reid didn't respond. He just stepped out of the SUV and walked back into the station. His face was a shade paler than normal. He placed the book on the table, open to the page they needed to look at. He then scurried away to get a cup of coffee.

Morgan watched Reid walk away and turned to Rossi. "What happened?"

"He's afraid he might be the reason the killing started. The UnSub could be sending a message to him, through these girls." Rossi shook his head. "And who can blame him? For all we know, he's right." He sat down and pulled one of the pictures of the victims over. He glanced between the victim and most recent photo of Alexa. "I must say, it's a bit too coincidental for me."

"That's because it's not a coincidence." Reid had come back from getting coffee and was standing behind Rossi. He stared down at the images, rubbing his forehead.

Morgan put a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Maybe we should all get some sleep," Morgan noted, looking at the clock. It was already ten in the evening. He glanced at Hotch. "We're not going to be able to do any more tonight."

Hotch nodded. "All right. Meet back here at nine." He began piling the papers up, and Morgan pulled Reid out of the room.

Morgan led Reid out and got into the driver's seat. "I'll bed with you tonight," Morgan offered. He knew Reid might have nightmares about this, and all the other things being in Vegas might bring up.

Reid glanced at him, and sighed softly. "I'm really losing it, aren't I?" He sounded sad, and scared. His hands were shaking slightly. He stared down at them and waited for Morgan's answer.

"You have every right to be freaked. That's why I'm staying with you." Morgan was also worried about Reid, but he knew Reid wouldn't want to hear that. He pulled into the hotel, per Reid's pointing. He slid out of the car and pulled Reid's door open. He walked to the back and grabbed their go bags.

Reid followed Morgan silently, just wanting to sleep. Too much had happened in one day for him. He watched Morgan take the room keys, only taking two, and walk towards the stairs.

Morgan opened the door and dropped the go bags by the door. He flopped on the bed, sighing.

Reid had stopped by the small table and was staring at a small piece of paper. "Mor—Morgan…" he gasped out. His hands were quavering badly. He held the paper out and fell into the chair next to him.

Morgan stared at the paper. It was typed with only one phrase on it.

_I'll see you soon, Dr. Reid._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello, again! Here's the long awaited second chapter. Sorry it took so long! -cowers- Don't hate me! My muse was being mean! -coughs- That being said, I own nothing. CBS owns it and won't share! -pouts-

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Reid's heart had sunk into his stomach. This proved he was right. Someone was out to get him. He took a shuddery breath, trying to keep his composure. Falling apart wouldn't help him, or the case. He closed his eyes for a moment before looking at Morgan. "What…what are we going to do?" His voice was shaking slightly.

Morgan had curled his fist around the note and was glowering at it. His gaze softened when he looked at Reid. "We'll find whoever's doing this and put them where they belong. Away from you." His voice was steely and determined. He pulled out his phone and dialed Hotch's number. "We found a note in the room. There should have been no way they could have known what room he'd be in." he was silent as Hotch spoke. "All right. Got it." He turned to Reid and closed his phone. "Hotch said to try to get some sleep, and we'll look at it in the morning."

Reid stared at him. "Someone's coming after me…and he expects me to be able to sleep, like nothing's wrong?" He sighed, but went to his go-bag and pulled out his pajamas. He then went off to the bathroom to get changed.

Morgan flopped onto the bed, worried. This really wasn't good. He silently made a vow to catch the son-of-a-bitch and make them pay. He jumped when his phone went off. "Morgan."

"_Hello, my chocolate Adonis. How's our boy?"_ Garcia's chipper, yet worried, voice came into his ears. Morgan pondered how to word what he was going to say. Garcia was not going to be happy when she found out what was going on.

"Uh, not too good. We found a note in the hotel room when we got it. 'I'll see you soon, Dr. Reid'. He's been freaked ever since. Hotch told us to sleep on it, but I doubt he's sleeping anytime soon."

"_Someone. Is. After. My. Boy. Wonder?"_ Her voice was deadly. Morgan could almost picture the look on her face.

At that moment, Reid walked out of the bathroom, in flannel pajama bottoms and a long t-shirt. The pants hung low on his thin hips, which amused Morgan slightly. He took one look at Morgan's face and frowned. "Garcia?" His voice was low. He shuddered when Morgan nodded.

"Yeah, Garcia. But, it's not like we're gonna let them get him." He was slightly amused, as he watched Reid walk over to the opposite side of the bed and curl up. "Baby girl, I'm gonna try to get some rest before we have to go digging. 'Night." After her good night, he hung up and settled next to Reid. He gently laid a hand on Reid's shoulder.

"I'm scared, Morgan," Reid admitted in a small voice. He was facing away from Morgan and didn't turn after he spoke. His hands were fisted in the sheets to keep them from shaking.

Morgan patted his shoulder. "I know, pretty boy, I know…" His tone was soothing. "We'll catch whoever's doing this. We always do."

Reid sighed, and fell silent. He stayed like that for a while, before finally drifting off to sleep. His sleep seemed peaceful at first, so Morgan allowed himself to drift off.

"Morgan! Please! Help me!" Reid's screams jolted Morgan awake. Reid's body was thrashing as he continued to scream. Morgan shook him a few times.

"Reid! Reid, wake up!" Reid's eyes flew open, and locked onto Morgan, startled. He then sat up rapidly, dropping his head into his hands. His stomach rolled and he swallowed back the nausea. Tears welled up in his eyes.

"S…sorry for waking you…" His voice was small and full of shame. Morgan froze for a moment before grabbing Reid's chin and forcing him to look at him.

"Don't ever apologize for waking me. We're friends, and you'd do the same damn thing if the roles were reversed. I don't ever want to hear you apologize for that again, you hear me?" He held Reid's chin tightly, his gaze firmly locked on the smaller boy.

Reid nodded slowly. "Yeah…" His gaze fell back to the bed and he sighed. "I'm just so tired of this…of the nightmares, the cravings that come with them…I'm just so tired…" He shifted so his back was against the headboard and wrapped his arms around his knees. He looked so small at that moment.

Morgan sat up and wrapped an arm around Reid, pulling him close. "Have you thought about taking a leave of absence?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he had to ask anyway.

"And have something happen? No way." Of course. Reid had the strange idea that if he wasn't there, something would happen to the team. He was the team's 'target', as he'd explained once.

Morgan snorted. "Well, maybe you should, especially while this is happening." He felt how tense Reid was, despite his attempt at comfort. He sighed inwardly. There was no way in hell either of them would be getting any sleep now. But, Morgan would have rather been getting no sleep and helping Reid, than sleeping and Reid be suffering on his own.

"We both know that won't happen," Reid pointed out. He felt horrible about waking Morgan up, but was glad it was Morgan rather than Hotch or Rossi. He shifted and rested his head against the headboard, thus resting his head against Morgan's arm. He closed his eyes briefly. He then opened them to stare at the faded white ceiling, thoughtfully.

Morgan glanced over at Reid and frowned. "What's going on in that brain of yours?"

"I…" Reid stopped for a moment and took a breath. "I'm just trying to figure out what I'm going to tell the rest of the team…I know they're going to want to know everything, but I'm not sure if I can relive it again…" He kept his eyes turned towards the ceiling. He fought to keep his breathing even.

"Garcia's already close to flying down here and flipping out," Morgan informed him, grinning slightly. He then turned serious again. "You're right, they will want to know, but you've got to know they won't think any less of you." He shifted to get a better look at the younger boy. "And I know how hard it's gonna be," he added.

Reid closed his eyes against the emotions welling up. He had to stay strong. He was an FBI agent for God's sake! This happened years ago, it shouldn't still be affecting him like this! It frustrated him, the fear of something like that happening again, and the feeling of helplessness.

Morgan saw the emotions swirling in Reid's eyes before they closed. "Pretty Boy, you really should take off, at least during this case," he nearly pleaded. He was worried about Reid's mental state.

"I can't. You know the likelihood of the killings escalating if I'm not here." He sighed, not sure what he could do. He was just so tried…

Morgan frowned. Reid was right… He chewed his lip for a moment, pondering whether to suggest sleeping again. He knew it'd probably be useless to try. He shifted and pulled out his phone. Hotch had said to meet back at nine…and it was already four thirty nine. Sleeping now would be pointless and they'd be more tired if they slept.

Reid noticed Morgan pull out his phone and frowned. "If you want to sleep, you can, and I'll just look over the files some more…" He loosened the grip he had on his knees and shifted.

"If I sleep now, I'll be more tired when I need to get up." Morgan stretched his legs out and grinned. "And you know I'm right." He stretched, cracking his shoulders at he did so. He snorted at the offended look Reid gave him.

"Do you know how unhealthy that is?" Reid sounded like a scolding parent, which was funny. He folded his arms and frowned.

"Yeah. Not my fault my shoulders crack." Morgan was secretly amused, but he pretended to be serious at least. He grinned briefly then raised an eyebrow. "Want to look over the files again? See if maybe something catches you?"

Reid shrugged and went over to the table. He still looked exhausted, but knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He flipped open the files and began looking the victimology over. "I want coffee…" he grumbled under his breath.

Morgan grinned. "Of course you do." He also leaned over the papers and began searching through them. Their work was silent for a long while after that.

Reid had zoned in on one house number. 5813 Madison Drive. …Why did that sound so familiar? He frowned for a moment, before realizing that it had been a 'haunted house' for years. He shuddered slightly, knowing he'd have to go there.

"Have something?" Morgan had noticed Reid's shudder and leaned over to glance at the paper. Nothing he saw seemed at all useful. He just hoped they'd figure something out soon. He pulled the folder he was looking at closer.

"The house in this file was an old haunted house, or that was the story, anyway," Reid murmured. His phone started going off, signaling that it was time to head back to the station. He dropped his head on the table and groaned. "God…So tired…" He lifted his head and stood, going for his go-bag. He pulled out some clothes and hurried off to the bathroom.

Morgan just grabbed a shirt out of his own go-bag and threw it on, wadding the dirty shirt up before throwing it in the go-bag. He then sat on the bed and flopped backwards, waiting for Reid. He closed his eyes, tempted to sleep. He didn't mind helping Reid out, he knew Reid would do the same for him, but he was still going to be tired.

Reid hurried back out and grinned. "Morgan, Hotch will yell if we're late, nightmare or no nightmare." He dug around in his back and found the small MP3 player that Garcia had bought him as a gift the previous Christmas. He put a headphone in and turned it on, pressing the button to make it go to the next song. He had it on shuffle and perked up when violin music flowed into his ear. He'd found the Celtic Woman's version of You Raise Me Up, something Prentiss had told him to look up.

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;  
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
You raise me up: To more than I can be._

His heart clenched briefly, thinking of Gideon. He then realized just how much that related to Morgan, and their relationship, especially now. He smiled a bit at that before Morgan finally got back up and walked over to him.

"What're you listening to, Kid?" Morgan listened to it for a moment before making a face. "Classical, girly music," he proclaimed, teasingly.

"It's not classical; there are words, as well as other things that make it modern." Reid was amused at Morgan's opinion. He waited until Morgan pulled the headphone out and dropped it before going to grab his jacket. He waited for Morgan to be ready after grabbing the files. Once Morgan was ready, he hurried out the door and back to the car. He settled in carefully and closed his eyes. He desperately needed coffee before explaining everything to the team. There was bound to be an explosion, especially since he knew he'd need to have Garcia on the phone.

The moment Morgan killed the engine; Reid unbuckled quickly and sped inside, making a beeline for the coffee. He fixed a cup and sipped it, sighing blissfully. "Mm…sugar…"

Morgan followed him to the coffee, needing it to wake himself up. He laughed softly at Reid. "You are one day going to go into a diabetic coma, Pretty Boy."

Reid frowned. "I am not!" He huffed, feeling the caffeine begin flowing through his system. He sighed, not at all thrilled. He didn't want to have to explain his past with Alexa. He steeled himself and walked over to Hotch. "I, ah…I think I have a lead, but I need to explain some background first, so could you gather everyone? I'd even like Garcia in on this," he added.

Hotch nodded and silently gathered the team. Reid pulled the note out of his pocket, thankful he'd remembered to grab it. He smoothed it out, almost obsessively, before laying it down for the rest of the team to see. He then sat down and waited for them to get Garcia online.

"Hiya Kiddo!" Garcia chirped. "Boss-man said you had stuff to tell us?" Everyone turned to look at him and waited.

Reid flushed, but began talking regardless. "All the victims look similar, which we all know. But, I noticed that they all look like a girl I went to high school with, named Alexa Lisbon. Alexa helped, along with her friend Harper Hillman, get me out behind the field house, where the entire football team was waiting. They tied me to a goal post and left me there." He paused to take a breath, an opportunity in which Garcia decided to speak.

"They _what_? When I get my hands on them, they'll wish they never laid a hand on you, G-man!" Her voice was laden with anger and promise.

Reid laughed, a bit fearfully. "No, no! That's not why I'm telling you this! Let me finish. All the girls look like Alexa, almost identical. I'm thinking it's either someone she knew or someone that hated her. Also, when Morgan and I went to bed last night, we found the note." He pointed at the note. "So I'm afraid—"

"Doctor Reid?" A female voice cut through Reid's speech. He turned around to look, and his eyes widened.

"G-man? Who's calling on you?" Garcia's voice was loud, and still slightly angry. She frowned at the look on Reid's face. "G-man!"

The girl standing there brought back so many memories for the young profiler, none of them good.

He stepped forwards and extended a hand. "Hello again."

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A/N: Dun dun duuun! XD Yay more cliffies! Also, you people see the address? The numbers mean something. And the first person to tell me what they mean, whether it be in a PM or review gets a free request. :D I'll post the winner on my profile. Also, random amount of Morgan/Reid cuteness? I'd say so. XD Hope you enjoyed!


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